The world’s most selling book, the Bible has been a pertinent resource for the ethical and moral learning of humanity over the years. It is most significant to consider the Bible as humanity’s most cherished treasure from time to time. The Bible has been, is, and ever will be the foremost teacher of humanity and its relevance can never be undermined. Its relevance is even more strengthened by the fact that it has literary, historical, and contemporary significance. The literary relevance of the Bible may be found in the Biblical text itself and thus there is a great literary merit to what has been explicated through the several teachings and events of the Bible. Therefore, the Biblical authors can be approached and analyzed as representing the literary world’s most pertinent concepts, ideas, and teachings. These are moral and ethical riches that have relevance all through the centuries and the human beings from time immemorial have been on the search for greater meanings in this moral heritage of humanity. People of all the time and place, in short, have been acquiring great knowledge and teachings that are disseminated through the Biblical narratives. The historical relevance of the Bible can be found in the historical context in which the Bible was originally written. The interpretation of the Bible has been done in this historical context and therefore it becomes relevant to the historical world as well. This is one of the reasons for the historical acceptance of the Bible by men of every region and time. There are examples of great people who, even while they hated the so called followers of Christ, have placed the Bible greatly to the hearts. The historical as well as the literary merit of the Bible can be recognized as the reason for such great acts of approval. More significantly, to the modern world of moral decay and social crumble the Bible has a great message to convey. This contemporary relevance of the Bible in general and its teachings in particular can be evidently seen as the major reason for the wide acceptance that the Bible acquires. The values and ethics that the Bible disseminates in the contemporary world which is noted for its valueless and unethical ways and practices suggest the permanent quality of the great book.
The sacred book of the Bible which has significant impact on the literary, historical, as well as contemporary world has been very much significant in my life as well. In my opinion, there is no other book that can influence the course of history as well as the words and deeds of humanity. The worth of the Bible has been especially experienced by me and most remarkably my life came to be running smoothly only after I began to value the words of the Bible. Ever since I recognized this merit, the values and morals of the book has a permanent mark on my actions. Every time I feel I am away from the ways of morality and ethics, I came to recognize some relevant teachings of the Bible sounding around my ears. This, I think, will be the experience of every human being who is related to the teachings of the Bible. It is in this context that the permanence of the teachings of the Bible that continue to have power over the world even in the contemporary world can be envisaged. The bible and its moral as well as social teachings have influenced even the people of the day who lead a life away from religious philosophies. The sheer merit of the moral lessons of the great literary legacy, i.e. the Bible, is a reason in itself to think highly of the value of human life.
The most pertinent implication of the Bible, in my opinion, can be identified in its relevance for the modern world. It is relevant to the modern world in that it answers the inevitable questions of life. It is the same reason that made great personalities such as Billy Graham to make statements of significant acclaim for the Bible. “The Bible is old, yet it is ever new. It is the most modern book in the world today. There is a false notion that a book as ancient as the Bible cannot speak to the needs of modern people. People somehow think that in an age of scientific achievement, when knowledge has increase more in the past twenty five years than in all preceding centuries put together, this ancient book is out of date. But all who read and love the Bible know that it is relevant for our generation. It is in the Holy Scriptures that we find the answers to life’s ultimate questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? What is the purpose for my existence?” (Hohnbaum). Therefore, the implications of the Bible to the literary, historical, and more importantly to the contemporary world suggest the permanence of the Biblical messages.
Works Cited
Hohnbaum, Chuck. The Relevance of the Bible for Living Today. SJ. 2004. Web.